Hero’s journey

[MythicMirror]

Well… What share Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker? Ok. You may say: “Oh! They’re powerful, they’re orphans, and they’re part of a huge prophecy.” – That’s fine. That’s true! But their stories were made with the hero’s journey. And now my question comes: How can I master this structure?

 

[Darkfantasy]

If you search on online you can get break downs of each area of the Hero's Journey and information on what to add in each section.

 

[Orc Knight]

Not sure about mastering it, but the basic structure can be gotten down. The protagonist gets the call, decides what to do with it, something bad happens (villages being burned down by the baddies is particularly popular), then they have to go deal with it. Important stuff happens along the way, maybe a love interest get's thrown in and they continue on the journey. Bad guy eventually get's what's coming unless it's being saved for a sequel.

I figure that's as basic as it gets. Eragon, though I may not exactly be a fan of it, really boils down a basic journey as much as it's predecessors in Star Wars and even Potter.

 

[valiant12]

The hero's journey have one very big flaw- It's very predictable and formulaic.

 

[pmmg]

If you read the 'Hero with a Thousand Faces', by Mr. Joseph Campbell (Which I did, and I am really not a fan of his writing style...) I think you will find that those stages are merely labels and each one goes off in a thousand different directions after presented. Some of which don't even match the pattern of the journey very well. If it is the goal to write a story and use the hero's journey as a road map, just get that the road map, start at the beginning and follow it along.

I would suggest though that the hero's journey, while often a recognizable pattern that appears in a lot of stories (and in effect the journey was trying to make an argument for the monomyth of humanity's journey) is not really the only form by which heroes and journey's can take. If you have an idea and a good character and cant wait to get started, there is no need to see if it matches up well to a hero's journey, just write the best thing you can, and perhaps by not being in the same pattern as so many others, it will be all the more interesting.

But, if you wish to a be a master of this concept, I would suggest starting an education on it. Mr. Campbell is a good place to start.

 

[Mythopoet]

If you read the 'Hero with a Thousand Faces', by Mr. Joseph Campbell (Which I did, and I am really not a fan of his writing style...) I think you will find that those stages are merely labels and each one goes off in a thousand different directions after presented. Some of which don't even match the pattern of the journey very well.

I have been attempting to read it for some time now and I swear to god based on the introductory chapter it's just sheer madness.

 

[Rkcapps]

Try this. Branden Sanderson explaining it on Youtube:

 

[pmmg]

I have been attempting to read it for some time now and I swear to god based on the introductory chapter it's just sheer madness.

Been a while for me so i dont remember most of what i thought. I recall thinking often thoughts like ‘get to the point’ with that book. Erudite was another word that came to mind. But it is the bible for the hero's journey so...

 

[Helen]

Well… What share Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker? Ok. You may say: “Oh! They’re powerful, they’re orphans, and they’re part of a huge prophecy.” – That’s fine. That’s true! But their stories were made with the hero’s journey. And now my question comes: How can I master this structure?

Here: KalBashir.com